The job on climate was not done —
During its active years, the Green New Deal Network organized the Green New Deal for the People Tour to elevate calls for a full-scale Green New Deal and to highlight the urgency many communities felt around climate, care, jobs, and justice.
The tour took place during a pivotal political moment, as advocates, elected officials, and community leaders gathered across the country to press for continued federal action and long-term public investment at all levels of government.
Climate groups launch national tour for Green New Deal
Exclusive: Multi-state tour, launching in Michigan on Sunday, aims to pressure Biden on climate action before 2024 election
A National Tour Calling for a Reborn and Ramped Up Green New Deal Lands in Pittsburgh
At stops across the country, environmental groups are joining local activists and politicians pushing for investments in union climate jobs to boost communities suffering from decades of environmental injustice.
National Demands
Reigniting the demand for a Green New Deal:
During this period, federal climate and infrastructure investments demonstrated what was possible when people organized for bold public action and supported leaders committed to large-scale solutions.
As part of the tour, organizers articulated a set of national demands that reflected the priorities of frontline communities and movement partners, including calls for a comprehensive Green New Deal framework that centered equity, labor standards, climate action, and public accountability. These demands were shared as part of a broader effort to shape public debate and policy vision during that time.
- A slate of legislation that will go beyond the Inflation Reduction Act and the other Democratic investments of the last two years to make the investment we truly need — $1 trillion in climate, care, education, labor, and social policy every year between now and 2030
- Equity, climate, and jobs standards in every single federal investment, creating guardrails to ensure that the government is creating union jobs and working for the people instead of wealthy fossil fuel corporations
- Federal executive actions such as President Biden declaring a climate emergency to halt all new fossil fuel development and redirect military spending towards combating the climate crisis
Where We’ve Been:
Tour Highlight: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
About the Stop:
At a stop on the Green New Deal for the People Tour in Pittsburgh, community members, organizers, and elected leaders gathered to speak about the disproportionate impacts of environmental harm on Environmental Justice communities and to frame the climate crisis as a public health issue.
Speakers and organizers emphasized how polluted air and water, extreme weather, and inadequate government support contributed to higher rates of asthma, cancer, maternal mortality, and heart disease in affected neighborhoods. The event brought together a broad coalition of local and national organizations to share analysis, lived experience, and policy demands relevant to the region.
Event organizers included: The Breathe Projects, Women for a Healthy Environment, Food and Water Watch, Pennsylvania United, Upstream Pittsburgh, Sunrise Movement, IPPA Food, Forestry, Arts and Culture, Fractracker Alliance, PSR Pennsylvania, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, One PA, and Green New Deal Network.
Speakers calling for a bold Green New Deal included: Chief Pomaj-chakmam-yajalaji of Grand Ynga of The Onkwehonwe Nation, Representative Summer Lee, Sara Innamorato, Vannesa Lynch, and Michelle Boyle and Natalia Rodriguez of SEIU and Healthcare Pennsylvania.
Policy Fact Sheet: Winning a Green New Deal in Pennsylvania
Tour Highlight: Dearborn, Michigan
About the Stop:
The Green New Deal for the People Tour kicked off in Dearborn in October 2023, where environmental advocates, labor leaders, and community members convened to discuss the impacts of climate change, economic insecurity, and environmental racism in Michigan and beyond. Participants highlighted grassroots campaigns, labor struggles, and policy priorities connected to a Green New Deal vision, situating local demands within a broader national movement for climate justice and economic transformation.
Event organizers included: the Michigan Alliance For Justice In Climate, MI Climate Action Network, Michigan United, Young Democrats of Michigan, The Rent Is Too Damn High – Michigan.
Speakers and attendees calling for bold investments for our collective Green New Deal vision included US Reps. Delia Ramirez and Jesús “Chuy” García, State Rep. Edgar González Jr., Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner, Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda, Chicago Chief Sustainability Officer Angela Tovar, soon-to-be director of the newly funded Department of Environment, Commissioner Anthony Quezada, Ayesha Qazi-Lampert of Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) , Lexi Henderson representing Sunrise Chicago, Kendrick Hall from People for Community Recovery, and Kennedy Bartley of United Working Families.
THE DETROIT NEWS: Elected officials, activists rally for Green New Deal in Dearborn
Local Demands:
Tour Highlight: Chicago, Illinois
About the Stop:
A later tour stop in Chicago brought together environmental and labor advocates alongside community members to reaffirm shared calls for comprehensive climate, economic, and racial justice policies. The gathering included speeches, performances, and community art, reflecting the role of culture and organizing in sustaining long-term movements for change. Organizers and speakers discussed policy priorities relevant to Illinois, emphasizing the importance of federal investment, labor standards, and community-driven solutions as part of a full-scale Green New Deal framework.
Event organizers included: GNDN, Grassroots Collaborative, IL Green New Deal, Chicago Teachers Union, Gen-Z for Change and Sunrise Chicago.
Speakers and attendees calling for bold investments for our collective Green New Deal vision included US Reps. Delia Ramirez and Jesús “Chuy” García, State Rep. Edgar González Jr., Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner, Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda, Chicago Chief Sustainability Officer Angela Tovar, soon-to-be director of the newly funded Department of Environment, Commissioner Anthony Quezada, Ayesha Qazi-Lampert of Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) , Lexi Henderson representing Sunrise Chicago, Kendrick Hall from People for Community Recovery, Kennedy Bartley of United Working Families, and Jung Yoon, Campaign Director of Grassroots Collaborative.
Local Demands:
